La Jolla Wednesday 9/30

[Hypoxic1]

The mother in law is in town so I get lucky and get sent to the beach for some fresh fish.
Got to the launch at 0700 Not as flat as the past week but not unmanagable. Saw this one kid get yarded 3 times on his new revolution trying to get past the surf and made a few suggestions concerning his technique. Things like "your rudder is still strapped up" put it in down when you get your boat wet" . Little things that when we have a new toy we can get nervous and forget the smallest detail that can make a difference in our whole day. little things that keep a boat tracking straight when the surf is kicking the shit out of you.

Made me feel for the guy though, reminding me of my yard sale in cardiff in July when I had just began my career as a kayak fishermen.

Pretty easy launch and bait was made in about 30 minutes. Saw a few guys out on those big pro anglers and wondered how they ever got through the surf.

Went offshore and began to troll. Since I havent had a day with the guru yet for my white seabass lesson my focus is still yellowtail, even though we all know THERE ARE NO YELLOWTAIL IN LA JOLLA.

Cruised around a bit. Not too much trouble from the dogs but the simple fact is I am one of 4 boats out there so We are bound to get a visit every 30 mins or so.

Ran into Leo, a guy I see frequently out on the water. Some of you may recall Bobs post from last Friday where a kayaker saved a swimmer by towing them back to land in the fog. That guy was Leo, a nice man and quiet hero. Well Leo usually trolls Rapalas and on Friday when I had run into him, I suggested he pin on one of my greenbacks and a ringed flyliner.

Today he was paddling up to me to announce that shortly after I left on Friday he caught a 22lb Yellowtail. I will get the pix from him later. It seemed like a nice gift from Neptune and a good reward for having taken the time to quite possibly save a life earlier that day.

So I give Leo another mackeral and tell him to give it another shot. Things are quiet today. not a lot of breezing signs on the water, and very few birds. Bait had stopped skipping an hour ago.

We paddle our seperate ways and after about 10 mins my rod goes live.......bump.....bump...s....ssssssssssss Count to three and were on. Fish goes straight for the kelp. Im on for about 15 mins and can feel the spectra sawing through the kelp everytime the fish makes a run. Tink.....tink ......shit one more.......tink........then were free. Up from the depths comes this fine fish, and Im outta the woods for dinner.
He weighed in at 18.6
I cant seem to break the 20 lb mark.
Guess I just need more time on the water....................
Sorry about the poor pic...Guess I will need to take a class from Josh on posing your catch one of these days too.

Tight lines.
Chris Lewis

[bigbarrels]

nice!

[forefrazier]

Hey Chris..Nice fish you been getting into lately. I talked with you @ DP a couple times. Looks like you are the resident LJ pro now! Great job man.

your on fire
nice

[dsafety]

Hey Chris,

Another nice fish. You are rapidly becoming one of the guys to shadow when out on the water in LJ. I look forward to going out with you again when I return from my sabbatical.

If you see Leo again, please pass on my commendation for his unselfish act that probably saved that swimmer's life. Lifeguards are like Firefighters and folks who have served in the Military. You never fully retire from those occupations. After spending a bunch of my youth in that profession, even at my ripe age, I still watch the water for folks who might be in trouble. It is encouraging that others are helping out as well.

After my recent successes, the "Guru" suggested to me that I get back on the water as soon as possible before the ocean cools and all the fishing techniques we used during the Summer suddenly stop working. Sadly, I will not be able to dip a line again for nearly a month. The good news is that while I will not be able to go fishing, I will be gaining my winter fat while cruising the Mediterranean for a couple weeks. I wonder if they will let me troll off the fan tail?

When I return, I am certain that, along with the seasons, the fishing techniques required to be successful will have changed. Learn what you can Chris and if you feel generous, pass a few tips on to me. I will bring the beer.

Bob

[Dan]

you're definitely the guy to follow around!!!